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Don’t believe in miracles—depend on them.
—Laurence J. Peter
不要相信奇跡，而是依靠奇迹。
——劳伦斯·J·彼得
My friend Annette and I had decided to go to a regional Writer’s Conference over Valentine’s Day weekend in Livermore， California. We were taking a mini vacation together and couldn’t have been more excited. We wanted to get there the day before the conference and settle into our hotel room.
The weather forecast was predicting high winds and heavy rain， so we decided to take an early morning commuter train and then connect with a city bus to our hotel. We arrived early enough to enjoy breakfast in the lobby. We even had the good fortune to be able to get our room before the standard afternoon check-in.
All was going well. We were off to a perfect start.
Once in our room， the storm hit with a fury！ The wind and rain made staying in the only sensible option. As lunchtime approached， we decided to try a phone app that would bring almost any restaurant’s food to us—for a small fee， of course. We decided on burgers from a well-known chain. If we ate a hearty lunch， we thought， we would be satisfied until breakfast the next morning.
The food-delivery app promised a forty-five-minute wait time. Forty-five minutes came and went， then an hour， and then an hour and a half. After two hours， I contacted the restaurant. They explained that our burgers were under a heat lamp the entire time， just waiting for the driver. We canceled the order and decided to venture out in an Uber to continue our quest for burgers. I downloaded the app， feeling like a tech-savvy senior.
The front-desk manager suggested a restaurant at a golf course across town that had great hamburgers. But when we got there， we discovered they were closed due to the bad weather. And our driver had already left by the time we read the “closed” sign.
We stood outside the building on that miserably cold and wet day， trying to decide what to do next. Of course， the solution was easy： Just order another Uber.
I began digging in my purse for my phone， but it wasn’t there！ Soon， I realized I had left it in the car. The driver was long gone， and so was my phone， which was only a week old！
Calmly， Annette took out her phone from her purse and ordered another ride. While waiting for the driver to arrive， I panicked. Maybe the next passenger in that car would find my new phone and keep it. Annette tried to comfort me but I continued to sink deeper into despair. I must confess that I don’t know why it never occurred to us to call my cell phone to see if the driver had found it！ Our second driver arrived and took us to a fast-food restaurant that we remembered seeing near our hotel. As we pulled into the parking lot， I suddenly saw what I thought was our first Uber！ Could it be？We were far from where he had dropped us off， but still， it was the same kind of dark gray compact car and it did have an Uber sticker in the window.
“Annette， that’s the car we were in！” I yelled. I couldn’t open my car door fast enough. I ran to the car， peered18 in the window， and saw my phone on the back seat！ I hurried into the building and began searching for our driver， a stranger I had only seen from behind as he drove us. Could I remember his face？ Thankfully， I did. I found him sitting in a booth. He looked up， surprised to see me.
“What are you doing here？” he inquired politely.
“My phone is in your car. I left it there when you dropped us off at the golf course. They were closed because of the weather， so another driver brought us here.”
“How did you know I was here？” he asked. I could only explain it as a miracle. We retrieved20 the phone， and the driver insisted on taking us to another restaurant. After several hours of hunger， we finally had our burgers. Never had ordinary hamburgers tasted so good.
Finding that phone in an unfamiliar city was impossible， but serendipitously we did. My faith grew that day， and I come back to this story from time to time when I need a boost—when I need to remember that miracles do happen.
我和我的朋友安妮特決定在情人节周末去加利福尼亚州的利弗莫尔参加一个地区性的作家会议。我们一起去度个小假期，真是太令人兴奋了。我们想在会议前一天到达那里，在旅馆的房间里安顿下来。
天气预报说会有狂风和大雨，所以我们决定乘坐一辆清晨的通勤列车，然后再搭一辆开往酒店的城市巴士。我们很早就到了，可以在大堂里享用早餐。我们甚至有幸能在标准的下午登记入住的时间之前拿到房间。
一切都很顺利。我们有一个完美的开始。
一进我们的房间，暴风雨就猛烈来袭了！风雨交加使留在室内成为唯一明智的选择。随着午餐时间的临近，我们决定尝试一款手机应用程序，它可以为我们带来几乎所有餐厅的食物——当然，需要支付少量费用。我们决定在一家知名连锁店买汉堡。如果吃到一顿丰盛的午餐，我们想，直到第二天早上吃早饭的时候前我们都会一直心满意足。
送餐应用程序承诺了45分钟的等待时间。45分钟过去了，一个小时过去了，一个半小时过去了。两小时后，我联系了那家餐馆。他们解释说，我们的汉堡一直放在加热灯下，只是在等司机。我们取消了订单，决定冒险用“优步”（一个有名的打车应用程序）打一辆车继续寻找汉堡。我下载了这个应用程序，感觉自己像一个精通技术的资深人士。
前台经理推荐了在镇子另一端一个高尔夫球场那儿的一家餐厅，那里有很棒的汉堡包。但是当我们到达那里时，我们发现他们因为天气不好关门了。而当我们看到“停止营业”的标志时，司机已经离开了。
在那凄凉潮湿一天，我们站在那栋楼外，想决定下一步怎么办。当然，解决方法很简单：再叫一辆“优步”。
我开始从钱包里掏手机，但它不在那儿！很快，我意识到我把它落在车里了。司机早就走了，我的手机也没了，这个手机我才刚用一个星期！
安妮特平静地从钱包里取出手机，又叫了一辆车。在等待司机来的期间，我惊慌失措。也许那辆车上的下一个乘客会发现我的新手机并拿走它。安妮特试图安慰我，但我继续陷入更深的绝望中。我必须承认，不知道为什么，我们从来没有想过打电话给我的手机，看看司机是否发现了它！
我们的第二个司机来了，带我们去了一家我们记得在酒店附近看到过的快餐店。当我们的车开进停车场的时候，我突然看到了我觉得是我们的第一辆“优步”的那辆车！可能吗？我们离从那辆车上下来的地方很远，但是，这辆车是同一种深灰色的小型车，而且车窗上确实有一个“优步”的贴纸。
“安妮特，那就是我们刚才坐的车！”我喊道。我以最快的速度打开我的车门。我跑向那辆车，朝车窗里看去，看到我的手机在车后座上！我急忙走进楼里，开始寻找我们的司机。他是个我只在他开车时看见过他背后的陌生人。我能记得他的脸吗？谢天谢地，我做到了。我发现他坐在一个隔间里。他抬起头，惊讶地看着我。
“你在这里干什么？”他礼貌地问道。
“我的手机在你的车里。你送我们去高尔夫球场的时候我把它忘在那儿了。因为天气原因，他们关门了，所以另一个司机把我们带到这里来了。”
“你怎么知道我在这里？”他问。我只能把它解释为奇迹。我们找回了手机，那位司机坚持要带我们去另一家餐馆。饿了几个小时后，我们终于吃到了汉堡。普通的汉堡包从来没这么好吃过。
在一个陌生的城市里找到那部手机是不可能的，但我们碰巧找到了。在那一天我的信念成长了。当我需要激励的时候，当我需要记住奇迹确实会发生的时候，我会不时地回忆这个故事。
—Laurence J. Peter
不要相信奇跡，而是依靠奇迹。
——劳伦斯·J·彼得
My friend Annette and I had decided to go to a regional Writer’s Conference over Valentine’s Day weekend in Livermore， California. We were taking a mini vacation together and couldn’t have been more excited. We wanted to get there the day before the conference and settle into our hotel room.
The weather forecast was predicting high winds and heavy rain， so we decided to take an early morning commuter train and then connect with a city bus to our hotel. We arrived early enough to enjoy breakfast in the lobby. We even had the good fortune to be able to get our room before the standard afternoon check-in.
All was going well. We were off to a perfect start.
Once in our room， the storm hit with a fury！ The wind and rain made staying in the only sensible option. As lunchtime approached， we decided to try a phone app that would bring almost any restaurant’s food to us—for a small fee， of course. We decided on burgers from a well-known chain. If we ate a hearty lunch， we thought， we would be satisfied until breakfast the next morning.
The food-delivery app promised a forty-five-minute wait time. Forty-five minutes came and went， then an hour， and then an hour and a half. After two hours， I contacted the restaurant. They explained that our burgers were under a heat lamp the entire time， just waiting for the driver. We canceled the order and decided to venture out in an Uber to continue our quest for burgers. I downloaded the app， feeling like a tech-savvy senior.
The front-desk manager suggested a restaurant at a golf course across town that had great hamburgers. But when we got there， we discovered they were closed due to the bad weather. And our driver had already left by the time we read the “closed” sign.
We stood outside the building on that miserably cold and wet day， trying to decide what to do next. Of course， the solution was easy： Just order another Uber.
I began digging in my purse for my phone， but it wasn’t there！ Soon， I realized I had left it in the car. The driver was long gone， and so was my phone， which was only a week old！
Calmly， Annette took out her phone from her purse and ordered another ride. While waiting for the driver to arrive， I panicked. Maybe the next passenger in that car would find my new phone and keep it. Annette tried to comfort me but I continued to sink deeper into despair. I must confess that I don’t know why it never occurred to us to call my cell phone to see if the driver had found it！ Our second driver arrived and took us to a fast-food restaurant that we remembered seeing near our hotel. As we pulled into the parking lot， I suddenly saw what I thought was our first Uber！ Could it be？We were far from where he had dropped us off， but still， it was the same kind of dark gray compact car and it did have an Uber sticker in the window.
“Annette， that’s the car we were in！” I yelled. I couldn’t open my car door fast enough. I ran to the car， peered18 in the window， and saw my phone on the back seat！ I hurried into the building and began searching for our driver， a stranger I had only seen from behind as he drove us. Could I remember his face？ Thankfully， I did. I found him sitting in a booth. He looked up， surprised to see me.
“What are you doing here？” he inquired politely.
“My phone is in your car. I left it there when you dropped us off at the golf course. They were closed because of the weather， so another driver brought us here.”
“How did you know I was here？” he asked. I could only explain it as a miracle. We retrieved20 the phone， and the driver insisted on taking us to another restaurant. After several hours of hunger， we finally had our burgers. Never had ordinary hamburgers tasted so good.
Finding that phone in an unfamiliar city was impossible， but serendipitously we did. My faith grew that day， and I come back to this story from time to time when I need a boost—when I need to remember that miracles do happen.
我和我的朋友安妮特決定在情人节周末去加利福尼亚州的利弗莫尔参加一个地区性的作家会议。我们一起去度个小假期，真是太令人兴奋了。我们想在会议前一天到达那里，在旅馆的房间里安顿下来。
天气预报说会有狂风和大雨，所以我们决定乘坐一辆清晨的通勤列车，然后再搭一辆开往酒店的城市巴士。我们很早就到了，可以在大堂里享用早餐。我们甚至有幸能在标准的下午登记入住的时间之前拿到房间。
一切都很顺利。我们有一个完美的开始。
一进我们的房间，暴风雨就猛烈来袭了！风雨交加使留在室内成为唯一明智的选择。随着午餐时间的临近，我们决定尝试一款手机应用程序，它可以为我们带来几乎所有餐厅的食物——当然，需要支付少量费用。我们决定在一家知名连锁店买汉堡。如果吃到一顿丰盛的午餐，我们想，直到第二天早上吃早饭的时候前我们都会一直心满意足。
送餐应用程序承诺了45分钟的等待时间。45分钟过去了，一个小时过去了，一个半小时过去了。两小时后，我联系了那家餐馆。他们解释说，我们的汉堡一直放在加热灯下，只是在等司机。我们取消了订单，决定冒险用“优步”（一个有名的打车应用程序）打一辆车继续寻找汉堡。我下载了这个应用程序，感觉自己像一个精通技术的资深人士。
前台经理推荐了在镇子另一端一个高尔夫球场那儿的一家餐厅，那里有很棒的汉堡包。但是当我们到达那里时，我们发现他们因为天气不好关门了。而当我们看到“停止营业”的标志时，司机已经离开了。
在那凄凉潮湿一天，我们站在那栋楼外，想决定下一步怎么办。当然，解决方法很简单：再叫一辆“优步”。
我开始从钱包里掏手机，但它不在那儿！很快，我意识到我把它落在车里了。司机早就走了，我的手机也没了，这个手机我才刚用一个星期！
安妮特平静地从钱包里取出手机，又叫了一辆车。在等待司机来的期间，我惊慌失措。也许那辆车上的下一个乘客会发现我的新手机并拿走它。安妮特试图安慰我，但我继续陷入更深的绝望中。我必须承认，不知道为什么，我们从来没有想过打电话给我的手机，看看司机是否发现了它！
我们的第二个司机来了，带我们去了一家我们记得在酒店附近看到过的快餐店。当我们的车开进停车场的时候，我突然看到了我觉得是我们的第一辆“优步”的那辆车！可能吗？我们离从那辆车上下来的地方很远，但是，这辆车是同一种深灰色的小型车，而且车窗上确实有一个“优步”的贴纸。
“安妮特，那就是我们刚才坐的车！”我喊道。我以最快的速度打开我的车门。我跑向那辆车，朝车窗里看去，看到我的手机在车后座上！我急忙走进楼里，开始寻找我们的司机。他是个我只在他开车时看见过他背后的陌生人。我能记得他的脸吗？谢天谢地，我做到了。我发现他坐在一个隔间里。他抬起头，惊讶地看着我。
“你在这里干什么？”他礼貌地问道。
“我的手机在你的车里。你送我们去高尔夫球场的时候我把它忘在那儿了。因为天气原因，他们关门了，所以另一个司机把我们带到这里来了。”
“你怎么知道我在这里？”他问。我只能把它解释为奇迹。我们找回了手机，那位司机坚持要带我们去另一家餐馆。饿了几个小时后，我们终于吃到了汉堡。普通的汉堡包从来没这么好吃过。
在一个陌生的城市里找到那部手机是不可能的，但我们碰巧找到了。在那一天我的信念成长了。当我需要激励的时候，当我需要记住奇迹确实会发生的时候，我会不时地回忆这个故事。